Blue Planet, The Series

Synopsis

A comprehensive study of the natural history of the oceans, revealing life and behaviour that has never before been filmed and in some cases has only recently become known to scientists.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of production

2001

Notes

Programmes broadcast weekly on BBC1 beginning 12/9/2001
Website on the series at www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/tv/blueplanet

Subjects

Biology; Environmental science

Keywords

Antarctic; Arctic; coral reefs; marine animals; marine ecosystems; marine plants; ocean floor; oceanography; shorelines; tides

Credits

Contributor

David Attenborough

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£29.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

400 minutes

Year

2006

Sections

Title

Blue planet - introduction

Synopsis

1: Discusses the importance of the oceans to our planet - over 70% of the surface is covered by the sea. Oceans dominate the world's weather systems and support an enormous variety of life from the blue whale to the tiniest plankton.

Title

Deep, The

Synopsis

2: 60% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean more than a mile deep, and only a handful of submarines are capable of diving that deep. Looks at the strange life forms which inhabit the deep.

Title

Open ocean

Synopsis

3: The open ocean covers more than 360 million square kms of the Earth's surface. Much of it is a marine desert, with virtually no sign of life, but somehow the fastest and most powerful predators in the world survive thousands of miles out to sea.

Title

Frozen seas

Synopsis

4: For most of the year both poles are dark and bitterly cold, but they still support life. Antarctica is a continent, a land mass in its own right, surrounded by ice, where Emperor penguins winter in temperatures below -50 degrees Celsius. The Arctic is

Title

Seasonal seas

Synopsis

5: There are some seas where fish swarm in millions and plankton blossoms in vast clouds. The sheer quantity of life here is unmatched anywhere in the oceans. Bordering the temperate parts of the world, where conditions change throughout the year, these a

Title

Coral seas

Synopsis

6: Bathed in warm, clear tropical waters, coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea.

Title

Tidal seas

Synopsis

7: The force of the tides is enough to move oceans. Looks at the mechanism of tides, their seasonal effects, and how they affect the behaviour of animals including crabs, racoons and dolphins.

Title

Coasts

Synopsis

8: Where land meets sea nothing stands still, and the challenge is to live with the constant change. For this reason many animals at the coast do not stay for long and there are some strange visitors - killer whales beach themselves at high speed, walruse

Production Company

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

BBC Shop

Email

bbcshop@bbc.co.uk

Web

http://www.bbcshop.com External site opens in new window

Phone

0844 848 9799

Fax

01795 414 555

Address

PO Box 308
Sittingbourne
ME9 8LW

Notes

The BBC Shop closed on March 29th 2016. It was replaced by the BBC Store (www.bbcstore.com) where many BBC programmes can be bought and downloaded in digital format only. The BBC continues to make many of its programmes available on DVD and Blu-Ray but these are now only available from other online retailers.

 

Available from retail outlets